Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County

Tashkurgan Tajik Autonomous County (, ; Sarikoli: ; sometimes spelled Tashkorgan, Taxkorgan, Taj Qurghan, etc.) is one of the counties of Kashgar Prefecture in western Xinjiang.

Geography

Tashkurgan County is located in the eastern part of the Pamir Plateau, where the Kunlun, Kara Kunlun, Hindukush and Tian Shan mountains come together, at the borders with Afghanistan (Wakhan Corridor), Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Province) and Pakistani-administered Kashmir (Gilgit-Baltistan). The county seat is the town of Tashkurgan.

The territorial expansion of the county is from north to south, and from east to west, the total area is about , at an average altitude above .

The Muztagh Ata, at , and the Kongur Tagh, at , are the main peaks in the county, while the two main rivers are the Taxkorgan River and the Tiznap River (Chinese: 提孜那甫河; Tízīnàfǔ Hé). There are several hot springs and resources of gold, iron, and copper.

Climate

Tashkurgan has a cold desert climate (Köppen BWk), influenced by the high elevation, with long, very cold winters, and warm summers. Monthly daily average temperatures range from in January to in July, while the annual mean is . An average of only of precipitation falls per year.

Population

The total population of Tashkurgan is 27,800, among them 84% Tajiks, 4% Han and 12% other nationalities. (Figures of 1995)

History

During the Han dynasty, Tashkurgan was known as Puli (Púlí 蒲犁); during the Tang dynasty, it was a...
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